Humalog Pen - Is anyone having trouble with the mechanics of the Humalog Kwik pen?

I had a new pen the dial did not click when dialed and the plunger would not go in or even budge. I took another from the box, same thing. After the third pen I had insulin. It was a Sunday night and I am so glad I had pens on hand. What would happen if it were my last new pen and would not inject. I called the company and am sending the pens back for review. It is a very expensive proposition when one fails. HAVE YOU HAD A PROBLEM?

Responses (26)

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JE

jellowdrums20 Jul 2011

Yes, this same thing happened to me! I opened a pen on Sunday evening that was defective. There was only one left in my box of pens, and the second was also defective! Sunday night! My pharmacy wsas not open! No doctors are available then! This is inexcusable!

That was a few months ago. Today - from a third box - I opened a new pen , and guess what? Yes! This is the fourth defective pen! What is a diabeticto do when there is noquality contyrol on these vital products? This could cause serios problems!

Whhhhhhaaaaat's up, people?

All the years I have used Humalog, I have never experienced such a problenm. And yet it just seems to continue.

CU

cudagirl26 Oct 2011

I have been having a problem with every pen I use getting air bubbles in them causing me to have doubts that the proper units are being dispensed and causing definitely problems with blodd sugar control when eating and accounting for carb intake

AS

asiaexec24 Dec 2016

I have been having the same problem! These pens are crap! I told my Walgreen's pharmacist about the problem and he just shrugged his shoulders and said "there is nothing I can do, contact Lilly" .

I tried to contact Lilly . . . what a waist of time.

So I have a very expensive bad product, a non helpful pharmacist, an insurance company mandating I use this product to be covered, and finally a manufacturer who could care less.

I guess that is why there are lawyers . . . but what does a diabetic do in the meantime?

Yes I also have had this problem with a number of pens in my batch this summer. I am pushing as hard as I can. When I withdraw a few c c's spurt out. I have tried different locations but it still happens. Could it have been the extreme heat we were experiencing? It seemed to happen more with the Pens I carry in my purse than the one on my kitchen counter

JB

jbankky126 Nov 2011

This happens on about 10% of the pens I use. I contacted Lilly. They blamed me, then my Doctor, and finally the needle for these problems. Clearly it is a manufacturing problem, since I use the pen correctly. Quite a waste of money for me!

KE

kengorman15 Jan 2013

I went through 2 pens that are stuck midway in the dosages. I have not used them for more than 2 weeks and this must contribute to the defect. The protein at room temp must coagulate in the pen in my opinion. The pen is not turning right after I pressed hard on the plunger so its ruined. Is this a safety measure for expired insulin? I would like to know.

KE

kengorman15 Jan 2013

OK, I noticed after removing the old needle that I could punch through the coagulation. Adding a new needle after punchng through will fix the stuck plunger problem. You just need to get the liquid flowing first. I am sure it is stuck due to coagulation, and may be deemed unuseful. Just use a new pen if in doubt.

CA

Carolyn Romaker17 Jul 2013

I am having the same problem. I have been using this product for years and in the last 2 years i am getting several pens that don't work. Express Scripts thinks the problem is with me. I have taken them to my MD and he doesn't know how to fix them and neither does my pharmacist. The company is replacing my recent ones but is telling me the problem is with me. That is am not using the pen correctly. Why after all these years would i be having this problem. I am 80 years old and at $30.00 a box, this is really stressful for me. Does anyone have a solution to our problems???

PE

perth453 Dec 2016

I have been having loads of problems... I have taken the pens back to the pharmacy who say they have reported it but the problems continue... at the moment I have about 6 pens from the last 2 boxes... tonight is Saturday and I have just had my last pen jam on me... FORTUNATELY I have found a spare in my bedroom, otherwise it would mean a Saturday night spent at the emergency doctors... NOT HAPPY...

PE

perth453 Dec 2016

I am fed up of this problem, I'm going to ask to be put on another insulin, I can't risk this all the time...

DE

Devonlady5 Mar 2017

I am away from home at the moment, took 3pens with me, just in case any one didn't work, hey guess what??? All 3 work give me any insulin, am so angry,What are we supposed to do,, are I know just go without huh

JO

john in nh13 Jan 2017

I've had issues with Kwikpens over the last month. When I press the plunger, it seems to "skip ahead", seemingly without doing anything. I had three pens, all with the same control #/exp. date, do this. The pens act like they have stripped gears. I traded these in for pens with a different control #, which perform slightly better. They only skip ahead at the beginning of an injection. I called Lilly, and they acted like this was news to them. They tried to throw B-D's needles under the bus. So I tried one of the first batch of defective pens with a needle from a new, different box, with the same results.

AS

asiaexec8 Feb 2017

Yes! I have had the same kind of problem with Humalog KwikPen. It is a shoddy design or perhaps shoddy manufacturing, but the pen does not provide the dosage I dial in.

I understand the Eli Lilli has experienced problems at their Puerto Rico factory . . . Perhaps that explains the problem.

My insurance provider, United Health Care, changed Novolog Flexpen as a "non-formulary medication" and made Humalog the exclusive.

I doubt this was decided on the basis of providing better medication to their insureds!

TE

TeaMoto11 Feb 2017

I have the same problem with the kwik-pen. I noticed that it happens when I have a packet of sweetener get loose in my purse and into my pen. I opened up the dial all the way and ran it under warm water to dissolve the powder, dialed it up and down in order to clean the mechanism. Just remember to shake the water out becaue it will enter the back of the vial. Now my pen is smooth in action.

TH

TheSCGirl1 Apr 2017

My dad has had the same problem! Mom called and they blamed it on them. Each pen cost them about $100. Lilly needs to replace the defective pens.

GA

gabriel S4 May 2017

Never had any problem with the old humalog, but the Kwikpen is absolute s... In my opinion, it's because thy're much too sensitive to dirt: I never have any problem with the ones which stay at home, but if I have one in a bag, pocket, whatever, you can be sure it's going to jam, sooner or later (generally sooner... )! So going out with my insulin becomes basically a gamble... I'm never sure if it's going to work, as it jams approx 1 every 2-3 uses

DE

Devonlady4 May 2017

After talking to pharmacy, they won't take responsibility, just say it's the users fault and not using them properly, the poor pharmacy are replacing them but at there own cost,

LI

LisaBiy7 Aug 2017

Yes, yes, yes. I have same problem all the time. I will call lily. I guess they're cheap pens. Very frustrating.

FR

FREDERICK DAVID4 Sep 2017

When I have had this problem I have found that the problem has been either that the needle is defective or that the inside of the needle that goes into the pen has broken off. Try a new needle or two, be careful that you do not lose the broken piece of needle from the inside of the pen. It could end up inthe your foot!

AL

aliciao6 Oct 2017

Yes, I have had the plunger skip ahead, then seems to catch and start giving the insulin, when giving a dose. As a result, I have no way of knowing how much insulin I just received. This has occurred multiple times. Once sending me into DKA, because I did not receive enough insulin. I am going to report this to Lilly, and if I get the same "user fault" response others have received, I will be contacting the FDA. Completely fed up. I have been injecting insulin for 18 years and never had this issue before the Kwik pen design.